Archive for the banter Category

don’t eat yellow snow leopards

Monday, 07 July 2009

Thanks to my ADC membership, I was able to install OSX 10.6 -the new Operating System from Apple. I would be lying if i said the upgrade was perfect; but hey, this thing is still in Beta. However, Windows users should feel right at home. The following is a list of stuff that is a bit flakey.

Works

  • Adium
  • VMware Fusion
  • Tweetie
  • NewsFire

Doesn’t

  • Nambu ( heaps of errors and no solutions )
  • 1Password fix
  • Textmate… key commands are buggy fix
  • CyberDuck Use the latest alpha
  • ForkLift ( no info! app crashes upon startup )
  • LimeChat ( see RubyCocoa )
  • RubyCocoa

where the magic happens

Saturday, 05 May 2009

Think Fast Tank
Global Headquarters


phone

desk

good coffee makes a good programmer

good coffee makes a good programmer


results from startup weekend

Sunday, 04 April 2009

TreadEx
Investor’s Presentation!
blog post on KCStartup page

I had such a fun time! I came up with an idea to connect bicycle messengers with local business owners on Thursday night. I pitched the idea friday night at the Kansas City Startup Weekend ( with a little help from my friends ) and started from scratch on Saturday morning. Sunday night, we presented the idea and launched our site. It was awesome! Here are some highlights:


TreadEx Sunday Afternoon Update from Dan Melton on Vimeo.


TredEx Team Update from Dan Melton on Vimeo.


Help the Bikers Team from Dan Melton on Vimeo.


BookUp made the news

Monday, 04 April 2009

Read more here -> www.unews.com


Dear Bookstore, screw you. kthxby.

Saturday, 04 April 2009

So on Tuesday of last week I revived an old idea.  I  wanted to create a web app that helps college students trade their textbooks.

Let me explain this idea with an example.

As a student. I want to save as much money as possible. I can do this by not buying my books from the university bookstore. But if I do not buy my books from the bookstore, how then shall i get the required reading material? My solution is to BookUp! So, lets say that I just finished Calculus III and I no longer need my 50lb Calculus book. I go to BookUp, find my Calculus book on the list and then I will create a listing associated with the book. This listing will show the world that I no longer need this book and I wish to give it to a student who does. I could sell it for cash or cashews, it does not matter because BookUp does not assume that much. BookUp is more of a tool to connect students and less of an commerce app. So basically this is a Craig’s List for college textbooks.

Let me know what you internet people think about this idea. . . . And now, in case you missed the link

BookUp


navigating file tabs in TextMate

Friday, 03 March 2009

I like uniform key commands. Hence the following quick tip.  Now i can move between tabs in TextMate with ease.

System Preferences -> Keyboard & Mouse -> Keyboard Shortcuts.

Now, add a new short cut and name it “Next File Tab” and then add whichever keyboard shortcut you prefer. Do likewise for “Previous File Tab.” Voila!


and we’re back.

Wednesday, 03 March 2009


things.app vs omnifocus

Saturday, 02 February 2009

things_vs_omnifocus

requirements:

  • Simplicity
  • Group TODOs with projects
  • iphone app
  • syncs with basecamp
  • iCal integration

Things.app

I evaluated this solution first. I was initially drawn into this product by its wonderful use of OSX goodness. They have a very sleek interface that allowed me to quickly understand my data. The work flow is very nice. I start by brain-dumping my tasks to  the inbox and then filtering the inbox into two my granular compartments. Things makes sorting the inbox super simple. I add due dates to all of my TODOs and Things will show me these TODOs on the date of their deadline. They also have a nice container for “someday” projects. My someday box is growing exponentially.

Pros:

  1. Interface
  2. elegant HUD for adding new todos
  3. less money than omnifocus

Cons:

  1. No integration with BaseCamp ( for now )

OmniFocus

After 20 days of using Things, i decided to give OmniFocus a shot. The bar was already set really high. Unfortunaltly this may have slanted my opinion. Nevertheless i gave OmniFocus the college try.  OmniFocus is developed by the Omni Group, makers of OmniGraffle - one of my favorite tools. This is probably the reason why OmniFocus is a bust. It is to complex for what i wanted. It seems very powerful, as does the learning curve. Four days into using OmniFocus and one of Einstein’s famous quotes came to mind: “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”  It appears that OmniGroup had never considered this when designing OmniFocus.

Cons:

  1. Crap interface
  2. bloated

bottom line

Things.app !


words

Thursday, 02 February 2009

words


Code on Shakedown Street

Thursday, 02 February 2009

This has got to be the wildest thing that i have ever heard. There can be no way that Cisco approves of this. . . . Programming on LSD; really!?

cisco_on_acid